sigverif - When installing new software on a computer, system files and device driver files are sometimes overwritten by unsigned or incompatible versions, causing system instability. The system files and device driver files provided with Windows XP have a Microsoft digital signature, which indicates that the files are original, unaltered, or that they have been approved by Microsoft for use with Windows. You can use File Signature Verification to identify unsigned files on your computer and view the following information about them: file name, file location, file modification date, file type, and file version number.

safe mode

To start a computer running Windows XP in Safe Mode, press F8 immediately following the basic input/output system (BIOS) post and before the Windows logo screen appears.

You can choose the Safe Mode with Networking option, which loads all of the above files and drivers and the essential services and drivers to start networking, or you can choose the Safe Mode with Command Prompt option, which is exactly the same as safe mode except that a command prompt is started instead of the graphical user interface (GUI). You can also choose Last Known Good Configuration, which starts your computer using the registry information that was saved at the last normal shutdown.

crash analysis

Browse to http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp.

Sends kernel memory dump files to a Web site hosted by Microsoft for analysis. Searches database of known issues for matching issues.

msconfig

Enables or disables various settings for troubleshooting and diagnostic purposes.

dr watson

Description

Detects information about system and program failures and records the information in a log file.

How to access

Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type drwtsn32 and then click OK.

device manager

Provides graphical information about how a computer’s hardware is installed and configured, and how the hardware interacts with the computer’s software.

How to access

Right-click My Computer, click Manage, and then click Device Manager.

defragmentation tools

Description

Defragmentation is the process of rewriting parts of a file to contiguous sectors on a hard disk to increase the speed of access and retrieval. Windows XP Professional includes two methods for defragmenting volumes: the Disk Defragmenter snap-in (Dfrg.msc) and the Disk Defragmenter command-line tool (Defrag.exe). Both defragmentation tools rearrange files, folders, and programs so that they occupy contiguous space on the hard disk. The tools also reorder free space, moving it into a contiguous block at the end of each volume. As a result, the operating system can write files to the hard disk sequentially more often, which improves performance.

How to access

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to use the defragmentation tools. To start the Disk Defragmenter snap-in, at the command prompt, type dfrg.exe and then press ENTER. To start the Disk Defragmenter command-line tool, at the command prompt, type defrag and then press ENTER.